[parineum]

"The West" is Western Europe and it's colonial/cultural derivatives.

It hasn't been a directional term for centuries. Everyone intuitively knows this based on the usage but, every now and then, someone like you thinks they are clever and nobody else understands.

[greiskul]

A lot of Americans don't consider countries in South America to be part of "The West".

Which is wild, cause Americans also love Rome and it's influence in western culture, and Latin America literally speaks languages that are direct descendants of Latin.

[bonoboTP]

In that conception it's Anglos and the historic roots of Anglo thought. Latin America is a different branch, so it's not on the Anglo branch. But the common root (Rome, Western Europe) is on it. Seems straightforward.

[brabel]

That’s why both Australia and South America were supposed to be integral part of the Western world. Only recently South America has become kind of unwelcome due to its political and economical misalignment.

[watwut]

People on HN regularly argue that Spaniards are not part of the west and it has nothing to do with direction nor culture. It is because a lot of mumbo jumbo that tries to imply but not openly say that they are not white enough.

[whstl]

> "The West" is Western Europe and it's colonial/cultural derivatives.

Yep. This is the definition I use.

[kstrauser]

I think you got their point exactly backwards. Their country is western by the standard you described, but people tell them it’s not because it’s not Western Europe, or the North America.

[zeehio]

Oh shit I wasn't aware that this was the definition. Does this definition then include Philippines being from "The West"?

[cwmoore]

Islands have their own directions.